An elderly man driving the wrong way on Interstate 95 in central Maine died in a crash Tuesday morning, police said.
The other driver was injured but is expected to survive, Maine State Police said. The crash closed I-95 south in Pittsfield for about two hours.
The crash took place about 11 a.m. in Pittsfield, while troopers were rushing to stop the wrong-way driver headed north in the southbound lane, police said.
The wrong-way driver, identified as 82-year-old Ivan Cunningham of Corinna, collided his Ford Focus into a Ford F-150, driven by a 27-year-old man from Stetson, police said. Cunningham was dead at the scene, and while the other driver was flown to Bangor’s Eastern Maine Medical Center for treatment, his injuries weren’t considered life-threatening.
Police haven’t said why they suspect Cunningham was driving the wrong way up the highway.
The highway was reopened by about 2:40 p.m..
🚧 TRAFFIC ALERT 🚧
An accident on I-95 southbound at mile marker 148 near Pittsfield has caused a shutdown. Traffic is being diverted at the Pittsfield exit 150.
Updates to come. pic.twitter.com/wEtxmyKDZP
— Maine State Police (@MEStatePolice) December 31, 2024
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